KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit Delhi from December 18 to 20, during which she has requested an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The TMC supremo aims to discuss the contentious matter of the Centre withholding the state’s rightful dues.
Banerjee, who is set to depart for Delhi on December 17, revealed, “I have written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking his time any day (during her Delhi visit) with a few of the MPs on the issue of 100 days pending dues.” She expressed concern about the Centre withholding the state’s share for health, questioning why Bengal is being denied its share while others receive theirs.
The state is currently at an impasse regarding pending dues under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), leading to a standoff with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Highlighting the urgency of the matter, Banerjee emphasised that if they do not receive the time they are seeking, they will explore alternative avenues to address the issue.
“If he allots time (for a meeting) then it is okay. We will be waiting for him to give us time on December 18, 19 and 20. If he does not budge, we will do what needs to be done,” she said.
The TMC had previously staged a significant protest during its public meeting at Jantar Mantar in October. TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, leading the protest, stated that if the Centre fails to act, they will approach the state government to clear the pending dues of MNREGA workers.
